A status report is one of the smaller CAC fees, but a confusing one, since it is easy to mix up with other documents in your incorporation pack.
Founders often only meet it the first time a bank or an investor asks for one. Knowing what it covers before that call comes in saves a scramble.
What a status report shows about a company
A status report gives a snapshot of a company's current register details: its directors, shareholders, share capital and standing with CAC. It reflects the record as it is today, not a history of past changes.
Banks, investors and due-diligence teams often request one when they want current facts rather than a copy of an old certificate. A certificate only shows the position on the day the company was incorporated. A status report shows where things stand now.
That difference matters more the longer a company has been running. A five-year-old company's certificate says nothing about who runs it today.
The fee for a private company
CAC charges ₦5,000 for a private company's status report.
This is a modest, flat fee, regardless of how many directors or shareholders the report lists. Compare it against certified true copy fees, which apply per document rather than per report.
The higher fee for a public company
A public company pays more for the same report. Budget for the higher figure if you are requesting one for a public company, rather than assuming the private company rate applies.
Check which category your company falls into before you pay, especially if it converted from private to public at some point after it was first registered.
Where to request one on the portal
Status reports are requested through CAC's new Company Registration Portal (CRP), the same place you handle other filings once you've registered your company.
Have your RC number and current login ready, since the request sits inside the same account as your other filings, not a separate public tool. Requests are usually processed within the portal itself, so there is no separate office to visit for this one.
How it differs from a certified true copy
A status report summarises the company's current details. A certified true copy instead reproduces a specific document exactly, such as your certificate of incorporation, at ₦5,000 per document per document.
Ask for a status report when someone wants current facts. Ask for a certified true copy when someone wants proof of a specific document itself. See certified true copy of CAC documents: the fee for when banks tend to prefer the CTC instead.
If you are not sure which one a bank or partner actually wants, ask them directly rather than requesting both. The two documents answer different questions, and paying for the wrong one wastes the fee.
Once you know which one you need, you can request it on the portal, or start a CAC company registration first if you have not yet registered.